Lover Come Back
by zarjarminx
Summary: A chance encounter turns a young Blair Waldorf into the Queen of Ice, swearing off love and passion in exchange for titles and hierarchy. That is until the devil himself returns hell bent on making her his. Little does the Duke of Empire know that he already had. Love Triangles, Angst, Smut and Romance. Historical Romance.
1. Sneak Peak

A/N: Hello fello Chair fans :) This is my first Gossip Girl Fan Fiction, so please be kind. This is going to be AU; a historical romance novel. Dont fear though my lovlies, I wouldn't dare have my beloved Chuck and Blair out of character.  
I do not own Gossip Girl, if I did, season six would've been drastically different...and it wouldn't have ended there...plus I would've made Dorota gossip girl. :)  
With that being said. I love you all. And enjoy this little sneak peak

Preface

_"Blair." he whispered hotly against her ear as he nuzzled her pulse point before running his tongue over that same spot. "You know just as well as I do that this changes nothing." He nipped at the throbbing flesh and pulled the porcelin skin into his mouth. "We are inevetible." _

_"N-no" She whimpered, her voice nearly inaudible, had he not been so intimately close. Their body's were flush against one another, her back exposed to the hard planes of his chest as his hips were hypnotically moving in rythm with her pounding heartbeat against the swell of her behind. _

_"You can't deny me forever princess," he bit sharply against the now bruised flesh of her neck and she yelped in defiance, attempting to pull away from his vice-like grip in vain. He smiled in satisfaction at her marked skin._

_"I can have you whenever, and wherever I so choose. You belong to me. The sooner you give in, the sooner you can claim your prize." He emphasized his point by thrusting the jutting evidence of his arousal into the crevice of her silk covered derrier. _

_It took every bit of power she possesed in her tiny frame to hold in the moan attempting to escape her cherry colored lips. She bit her plump bottom lip and took a controlled breath, preparing herself for what she was about to do next. _

_Closing her eyes, she rolled her hips against his, carressing his erection between her rounded cheeks. A dangerous smile crossed her still bitten lips when she heard his breath catch in his throat, his arousal jerking in approval. Continuing her escape plan with a fervor she didn't know she had, she snaked her hand behind her into the warmth between them their flush bodies had created and found the probing member that had nestled firmly against her, begging to be freed from its clothed prison. She wrapped her fingers around the unwanted intruder and gave it a curious stroke. When a low groan and hot breath washed over her neck and the shell of her ear she whipped around to face it's owner. _

_Chocolate eyes met honey, and for the breifest moment she had forgotton the game plan, forgotten why exactly the stunningly handsome man before her made her stomach churn with bile, and turn her usually pristine exterior into a fiery pit of vengence and hatred. Unconsiously she gave his throbbing member a langourous stroke and she couldn't stop herself from licking her lips at the deliciously smooth baritone of his voice when he let out a low moan._

_The erotic sound jolted her to her core, momentarily breaking her intoxication with this mesmerizing and revolting man, bringing her back to the task at hand. Her previous sensual gesture turned violent as she dug her nails deep into his groin, and his moan quickly evaporated, replaced by a pain riddled hiss. _

_"I have never belonged to you Charles, never have, never will." She whispered as she leaned in to ghost her tongue along the shell of his ear before pulling back again. Her perfectly bow shaped lips curved into a breathtaking, and dangerous he might add, smile. "Any prize I wish to claim from you will be your destruction." Taking a page from his book of depravity she emphasized her point physically, digging her nails into his steel hard erection until she was certain she had broken skin._

_He flinched in evident pain but kept his composure as best he could as he watched her take a step back, pivot on her immaculate heels, and saunter out of the secluded study, her ivory silk skirts emphasizing the sway of her hips. Unconciously a genuine smile curved his full lips as the never ending wheels in his diabolical mind started turning on triple time. He'd make her his, there was no doubt about it. Chuck Bass always got what he wanted, and Blair Cornelia Waldorf was no exception._

**Ok guys, let me know what you think. The first chapter is finished and I'll be uploading it shortly I need lots of feedback to know whether to continue this story as I have others to work on as well if this one isn't popular enough. For those readers of "Weird Science" I know you are desperate for an update, I promise I am working on it. I am having a hard time writing myself out of a problem in the outline but do not fear, I aim to please my dear readers. I always aim to please!**  
**As for this fanfiction, It will be a historical romance but please don't assume that it will be historically accurate...I have minipulated history to my liking and that will be that. :P**

**In need of a beta. Help is welcome :)**

**As always Read and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **

**Love Always **

**Your devoted ZarJar**


	2. Chapter 1

I do not own Chuck and Blair. OBVIOUSLY.

And before I get hate bashed by history buffs, I'm well aware that the "history" I write about is inaccurate. Just enjoy the story as is ok? If not FLAME AWAY, this is merely my attempt to write a "historical romance" the way I want. OK? OK!

**Lover Come Back**

**Chapter One**

Blair Cornelia Waldorf rested her head against the exquiste embroidered cushions of her carraige as she peered out the windows at the retreating image of her beloved Constance Billard. She gave a small smile as she remembered her six years at the private finishing school for debutaunts. Her reign over the young women had been perfectly executed thanks to her mother's strict training in the ten years of her life before she had attended the elite establishment. For the girls who found themselves in Blair's favor, she had been as sweet and cunning as Queen Victoria, however the majority of girls had crossed her or caught the ever watchful eye of "Queen B" in a negative light, and it was those poor souls who saw her swift retribution was as unmerciful of King Henry VIII himself.

It was almost sad to say goodbye to the world she'd created of pretty hair ribbons, jewel encrusted headbands and impecible style that adorned her and her entrusted allies, the signature of London Royalty in the most literal sense. Constance had been home to the daughters of Lords, Earls, and a few lowly Barons, even royalty as prominent as the Crowned Prince had sent his daughter to Constance Billard's Ettiquette School for Debutaunts. Yes, only the best was provided for the sole heir of the Waldorf fortune, sole heir of the Earl and Countess of Astoria.

Blair had lived a more than priveledged life, sheltered from the harsh realities of London living in the late 1700's. Her mother had been a French seamstress, and by the time she'd reached twenty one years of age her small boutique shoppe had become the most popular dressmaker in all of Paris. Elenor, daughter of a Dowager princess had gained quite the reputation for being both Royalty and a "working woman", gaining her public support in a volitile time. She had met Harold that same year when he'd commissioned a dress for a beloved neice, just before the uproar of Revolution budded in France. In a whirlwind romance, they were married two weeks later and Elenor moved her company to London and hired an apprentice in order to live a life of leisure as the Countess of Astoria.

Blair grew up like a princess, wanting for nothing. She had spent her summers at home, usually alone in the Astoria Manor, but in her possession she had the finest dresses commissioned by her mother, exquisite jewelery gifted by her father, and the pristine social graces taught to her by both Elenor, renowned governesses and of course, Constance. She even had the invaluable friendship of Miss Serena Van der Woodsen, daughter of the infamous matron, Lily Van der Woodsen.

They had taken to spending half of the summer together in the Rhode's summer manor when they were thirteen, a tradition she was honoring again as she left boarding school for the last time.

She smiled as she remembered the first time the two had met. They were no older than ten years old when their mothers had left them to their education. Blair had been excited the first day, eager to prove to her mother that all her hard work was about to pay off. She'd waved goodbye to her governess and loyal maid Dorota and waited for her luggage to be taken to her new quarters when she turned to discover a stunningly gorgeous young girl, about the same age as her, sitting on rather expensive pink leather luggage and wiping away tears.

**Blair's nose scrunched at the unseemly sight, her mothers voice ringing in her ears. **_**A lady does not show emotion, she keeps a cool and calm exterior. To display emotion in any sort is uncouth and distatsteful. An emotional woman is a woman of loose morals, Blair. Don't you dare forget that.**_

** At ten years old the words of her mother weren't as clear as they were now, but she was well aware that this girl was making a fool of herself infront of her peers and Blair couldn't help herself from distracting the girl from causing a scene.**

** It was their duty as the daughters of nobility and royalty to learn ettiquette, propriety, social graces, and the proper accomplishments for a young lady such as embroidery, literature, painting, music, and foreign language. Why else acquire the best education available if not to please their parent's and marry off well?**

** She approached the girl and was taken aback by how beautiful the blonde was. Even with tear stained cheeks and a runny nose, the young girl was a vision. Before jealousy could register in her ten year old mind, Blair decided immediately to make an alliance. She would be a valuable asset in taking over the school, without a doubt. Handing the girl her travel hankercheif she offered a much practiced smile.**

** "If you keep crying like that, you know, the girls around here will think you haven't cut your milk teeth yet." the blonde girl took the hankercheif and wiped away her tears, blowing her nose in an undignified manner. Blair had blanched at the uncouth action, causing the blonde to blush and avoid meeting the brunettes questioning eyes.**

** After a few moments of silence the blonde girl finally opened her mouth to reply. "It's just that..." she looked up at Blair briefly before returning her gaze to the hem of her pale yellow gown. "Mama," she sniffled again. "Mama promised to see me off this morning."**

** Blair's fake smile fell immediately as she understood the girl in an instant. Her own mother had made that same promise a week before but had proclaimed this morning that a ten year old girl did not need to be coddled by her mother. It was in an instant the Blair's heart went out to the girl, they were alike, kindered spirits and she would make sure that they would remain lifelong friends. **

** "Mothers are examples, nothing more," Blair said, offering a real smile to the girl. "They give daughters their advice and knowledge, sometimes their secrets, but never their affection." The blonde looked as if she were about to cry all over again at her words but Blair had raised her hand to stop her. "Affection is reserved for beloved friends; one's chosen family."**

** And with that a radiant smile had formed upon the once depressed child's face and she leaped from her seat, wrapping her long slender arms around Blair's smaller frame.**

** "I think we're going to be great friends...sisters even!" the now exhuberant girl exclaimed. Remembering her manners she pulled back from a stunned Blair and offered her a clumsy curtsey. "I am Miss Serena Vanderwoodsen, daughter of Lillian Rhodes VanderWoodsen and his Royal Highness William Vanderwoodsen!"**

It was that simple encounter that had made her once lonely life grow into a world of mischeif and propriety all mixed into one. Serena was outgoing, lively, adventurous and naive, while Blair was composed, proper, traditional, and skeptical. They brought out the best in eachother, and sometimes the worst, but that was what sisters were for. Serena had been by Blair's side through her parent's constant absense, and Blair comforted Serena when her father had been disowned by the Queen, sending him into a spiral of booze and gambling that eventually cost him his life.

Over the six school years at the acadamy the two had formed an unshakable bond that would be put to the test now that they were in their season, preparing for their debut into the ton society. Now, they would be eachother's competition.

Blair's stomach churned at the idea of competing for the attention of a suitable husband with the unearthly beauty Serena had grown into over the years. Serena was the picture of perfection with golden tresses that reflected the sun's light like a heavenly halo. She was tall and slender, with eyes as blue as the sky and skin that maintained a summer glow even throughout the harsh London winter. How was Blair to catch a suitors eyes when all she could offer was brown curls, brown eyes, pale skin and a petite frame with oddly wide hips. Serena would no doubt be married within the year and Blair would have to choose from the leftovers of elegible batchelors whom failed in capturing Miss Van der Woodsen's heart.

As if to rid herself of such loathful thoughts, Blair pulled out her fan and cooled herself from the uncoming summer's heat as her carraige made its way to the Rhode's summer home in Kent. Debutaunt season was still several weeks away, and her mother was busy in Paris with the preperations for her coming out ball. Elenor had only been too happy to agree to leave Blair under the charge of Lily Vanderwoodsen, despite the rumors that constantly surrounded the widowed woman and her bastard children. Lily was a prominent figure in London society. She could make or break a reputation with the turn of a cheek and rightly so. Not every matron in the ton had bedded and breifly married a Crowned Prince.

Blair closed her eyes and watched the sun dance accross the backs of her eyelids as she allowed the swaying of the carraige to lull her into a quiet slumber. She forgot about school, about competition and social status and entered her little dream world where she was the crowned jewel, the beloved princess, the star debutaunt and she dreamt of her prince charming rescuing her from a life of lonliness.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The abrubt stop of the carraige awoke a sleeping Blair with a start. It took a moment to regain her thoughts and collect herself. She peered out the carraige window to see the astounding view of the Rhode's Country Manor. Kent was a particularly favourable place to own a country home, just as the Rhode's family who owned most of Kent was a particularly favourable family to have connections with. Blair smiled, recalling all the summer's she spent visiting Serena. Cecil, her footman, opened the carraige door and offered his hand, assisting her out of the coach car and onto the cobblestone drive.

Her dainty slippers dissappeared under her pristine ivory skirts as she made her way towards the stairs. Before she could make it to the top to call upon her second family, Vanya, the head butler, had opened the ornate mahogany door with a smile he tried desperately to hide.

"Miss Waldorf," he said with his heavy Russian accent. "You're expected to join Lady Van der Woodsen in the Oriental Parlor. Miss Serena sends her apologies but has yet to arrive back to greet you properly." He announced with practiced English. Blair couldn't help but giggle at the small eye roll he gave at her friend's tardiness. The excuse most likely Vanya's attempt to cover her dear friend's flippant tendancies.

"Its good to see you, Vanya." she offered, knowing that social status prevented him from a familiar greeting. "I'll see myself to the parlor, no?" She offered him a rare genuwine smile and brushed passed him with the rustle of her skirts behind her.

Blair entered the grand foyer and made a right as her heels echoed through the quiet hallway. She came towards a pair of unguarded french doors and smiled at the informality. Had she been home, meeting with her own mother, the parlor doors would've stationed two manservents immaculately dressed and ready to announce her presence before she would've been allowed to enter. Forgetting the thought, she turned the crystal knob and opened the door to reveal the ornate Chinese Parlor. It was decorated floor to ceiling in Ming Dynasty tapestry, vases, rugs, and furniture, and in the center placed strategically on a daybed of red velvet and golden embroidery perched atop gold encrusted legs was Lillian Van der Woodsen, "Mistress to the Crown".

"My dear Blair!" Lily cooed as she swept herself gracefully to her feet. She glided over to meet her guest, delicately placing Blair's lace gloved hands in her own and drawing them out, giving her "goddaughter" an appraising once over.

"You've grown even more beautiful my porcelin princess! How is that even possible?" Lily's eyes twinkled as she let go of her hands and took the entire girl into her arms for an affectionate hug. "You are absolute perfection, dear. Tell me how do you do it?!"

Blair gracefully pulled from the tender embrace and smiled at Lily fondly. "A lady never reveals her secrets, unless one is shared first."

Lily laughed at the mischevious retort and gestured to the seat accross from her before calling for tea. Blair happily obliged and soon they were exchanging niceties and sipping on ginsing tea.

"I'm glad I've the opportunity to speak with you before my daughter returns home." Lily said a while later. "I've received some news from the Royal Palace that has caused me some concern and I need to ask your help."

Blair delicately placed her cup and saucer back on the tea tray and returned her gaze to Lily with questioning eyes.

"As you know, my daughter is not of the purest bred in the ton. Her father and I's marraige was annulled by the crown leaving both Serena and Eric to the misfortune of being labled illegitement. This isn't news to you, I'm sure, however it will be most inconvenient for ... _Serena._ It's hardly beneficial for her to debut under the predetermined notion that Rhodes women are of..._loose morals._" Blair flinched at the haunting words Lily had unconciously chosen.

"Please help Serena behave herself. You have always set such an example for your peers at Constance, and my daughter adores you. My dear Blair you have been like a daughter to me and I want nothing more than for my own child to acheive the same social standings you are guarenteed to have by the end of the season."

Blair nervously chewed her bottom lip, something was surely going on in the Rhode's household that she was not privvy to. Lily had never cared to keep a close eye on her childeren's misadventures unless it directly affected her. It was no question that the success of Serena's debut would reflect directly on Lily, but not enough to ruffle her skirts had trouble ensued. No, Blair was sure it was something else, something that would cause Lily to want her daughter distracted and on her best behavior.

"You have a new suitor?" Blair managed to ask, athough it came out more like an accusation.

Lily flushed, something that one did not see on the matrons of London over the age of thirty. "You are more clever then your age credits you for," Lily smirked. "I have a potential suitor, that is all I'm at liberty so say as of now; do you agree to the task? Help her bring our name up from the disgraced nature her father has left it in."

Before Blair could answer, the doors of the parlor burst open and in came a vision in white. Serena's morning dress trailed behind her as she ran towards her friend in the uncivilized manner Blair loved to hate, and not only because it made her feel superior in her social graces. In a flurry of greetings and friendly gestures Serena managed to direct Blair out of the parlor, up the stair case and into her bedchambers without properly answering her friend's mother or even issuing a proper goodbye.

"Serena!" Blair scolded "That was quite rude! I was in the middle of a conversation with your mother."

Serena stuck her tongue out at her friend and Blair pretended to be horrified by the ghastly gesture before the two broke out in a fit of girlish giggles.

"B, I have the most delightful news!" Serena cooed, a twinkle in her sky blue eyes. It was a tell tale sign that her friend was up to no good and she was about to beg for her involvement.

"Oh no, S. I refuse to be an accomplice in any nonsense you've saught out. No more than five minutes ago your mother was begging me to make you behave yourself."

"But B! You dont understand. I'm in love!" the blonde squealed in delight. This only caused Blair to roll her eyes in annoyance. Serena was in love as often as the moon was full.

"Who is it now? The gardner?" Blair asked sarcastically as she trailed her fingers along the smooth surface of Serena's white oak vanity, fingering the bottles of eau de toilettes and essential oils, a stray strand of pearls, and an ivory comb.

"Hush," her friend pleaded, leading Blair away from her vanity and towards her bed. She patted the empty seat next to her, offering a seat. "His name is Benjamin Donovan."

"Our dance instructer and Constance?" Blair all but screeched. She had noticed over the last few months that Serena was taking her dance lessons quite seriously as their schooling was drawing an end, and it was not lost upon her that her friend often swooned when dancing with the young instructor. This did not, however innocent, excuse the improper and improbable romance to be anything other than a young girl's fancy.

"Have you gone mad? Serena, you could be ruined!" she warned in a voice that left no room for doubt.

"Before you say anything B, just listen." Serena demanded as she looked up from the flower she was worrying with her long, lithe fingers. Blair saw it then, the look of wonder in her friends eyes. It was soft and almost hazy, darkening her friends usual bright blue irises into a stormy hue.

"He is kind, and sweet, and gentle. He likes me, I can tell." she mooned. Blair often wondered what it would feel like to be in love. Her parents had never set an example, and her mother had made it quite clear that marraige was for producing an heir to ensure the succession of the family name. A husband was just an image, a woman could rely only on herself to make her life truly purposeful.

"We've been writing for some time now and he's invited me to a masked ball at Rose Hall."

Blair was shocked out of her thoughts after the scandolous words left her best friends mouth. She started to prepare her long scolding session but before the first scathing words could leave her lips, Serena cut her off.

"I know, I know it is a commoner's hall but think of all the fun to be had. No one would know we're of noble birth. It would be great practice before our debut into society and we could see if all our time spent at Constance was really worth it. I can't go alone B, and you're the only one I trust with this. Tell me you will come sister, please!"

Serena was giving her an utmost pathetic look; pleading eyes and a pouting lower lip. She looked ridiculous and adorable all at once and Blair new she'd been won over, but her dearest friend didn't need to know that yet.

"I may be of noble birth, S, but you are royalty. If the Queen were to find out of this she may have you put in the stocks for disgracing the Crown in nothing but a slip!"

It was now Serena's turn to roll her eyes at her friend. "So dramatic, B. My father, rest his soul, was the chosen son out of seven until _he_ disgraced the Crown. The Queen is too busy with her other son's lives to be bothered by her illegitiment granddaughter's antics."

Several sharp raps on Serena's door interrupted Blair from properly schooling her truly misguided friend and once opened it revealed Vanya, letter in hand.

"A message has arrived for Miss Blair addressed from Versailles." Vanya's white gloved fingers plucked the letter from the silver tray it rested upon and handed it cerimoniously to it's recipant.

"Why is your mother writing you from Paris, B? She usually waits until you return home to deliver any news she deems worthy to inform you of."

"I haven't the slightest clue." Blair said tersely. "It can't be anything pleasant, I assure you."

Blair walked across the decadent room colored in pinks, and golds, and ivory towards the large windows facing the gardens. She broke the Waldorf seal that enclosed the letter and began to read the letter that would soon change her life.

_My child,_  
_As I have been away in securing only the best and finest things for your debut I have also been securing your future. I have made a new accquaintence in Paris; Lady Anne Archibald, daughter to the His Royal Highness, William Van der Bilt. As you well know Prince William is next in line for the throne and an alliance with his most beloved daughter and her husband Lord Archibald would be one of utmost importance._  
_I write to you now to inform you of their only son, and sole heir Nathanial Archibald. He is set to return to England in a fortnight. He is set to choose a bride this coming season and I have cemented an introduction to be made at your debut, just before your engagement papers are to be drawn up. A long betrothal will soon follow and wedding preparations will be made just in time for your eighteenth birthday. _

_Smile my child. If only we all were so fortunate._

_Eleanor._

Blair read and reread the letter, hoping beyond hope that she missed some underlying text, that this was just a cruel attempt at a joke by her sick mother. She didn't realize her severe grip on the letter or that her knuckles had turned white until Serena's voice broke her from the hell she was now drowning in.

"B, what is it? Is everything alright?"

"No, S. It is most certainly not alright!" the mortified brunette cried as she crossed the room quickly, tossing the cursed note into the firepit and watching with a sick satisfaction as the flames devoured the heavy paper as if it devoured the future that now lay ahead of her, whether she choose it to or not.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Serena had done her best that night to comfort her dear friend. She tried everything she could despite the fact that Blair's fate had been sealed. It was every young girl's fantasy to marry for love to a man of high station but only after she had her coming of age debut ball, and a debutante season full of innocent flirtations and stolen kisses. She did not envy her friend; to be sold to the highest bidder with no choice but to acquiesce.

"You have two years, a lot could happen in that time. You could even fall in love with him!" she offered.

No answer.

"Maybe he will meet someone else and convince his mother and father to forfeit the contract and you will be free to chose your own husband."

No answer.

"You would be royalty, B. That's all you have ever wanted and more. You would be marrying a future prince!"

Blair's ears perked at this and Serena smiled as the light slowly came back into her dear friends chocolate colored eyes. She should've known heirarchy to be the successful course of action, at least when concerning her best friend.

"I suppose Her Royal Highness, Princess Blair Cornelia Waldorf has a nice ring to it, or rather Archibald. I wonder if he is agreeable." she mused. "If he is I'm sure I could convince him to keep my name and only add his. Only the best of nobility have more than three names."

Serena bit back a smile as her friend's features resmebled those of her plotting face. The wheels in Blair's head were turning and thus was a sign that her friend had come to terms with her situation or in the very least was susceptible to being so.

A bottle of champagne and a few of Lily's colorfully died ciggarrettes later, Blair agreed to go to the Masked Ball at Rose Hall the following night. The girls spent the majority of their time before hand plotting their escape of the Rhodes Manor and the surrounding grounds. After preperations had been made and a few servents had been paid off the two set out to prepare their attire for their evening out.

They found antique gowns in the attic from the late Celia Rhodes' wardrobe still in wearable condition due to their skilled storage and some from Lily's discarded days of youth. Blair was shocked at the low bodice's and scandalous cuts of the gowns, especially for their time! Serena even managed to find the decency to blush. They had located old hair powder in both white and black, which was clearly out of style, but would do superbly to help hide their identities. Serena had found a gold mask with peacock feathers to match the white muslin and gold silk embroidered gown she'd found in the attic, and before long Blair too had found a similar silver mask with white feathers that would match her gown nicely.

As they prepared their costumes the night before Blair couldn't help feel a bit nervous at her choice of dress. She'd found an exquisite French number that reminded her of Elenor's earlier designs. The French always managed to be ahead of the time yet traditional when it came to fashion, and being the daughter of a French seamstress left her privvy to taste and elegance most noblemen's daughters have to learn on their own. The dress was pale blue, reminiscent of Marie Antoinette. It was impeccible with its tight laced corset and full layered skirts. The three quarter leangth sleeves rested just at her elbow showing off the porcelin skin of her forearms and wrists. The bodice was far from decent however and the obvious French style worried Blair, the dress was not as modest as she would have liked, but Serena made a compelling argument of the dress being the perfect "undercover attire" to infiltrate the common masses, and for some reason that appealled to Blair like nothing before.

The two girls went to bed later that night talking of all the possibilities to come the following evening. Serena was convinced Blair would meet some handsome stranger who would steal her first kiss in the middle of a dance, unable to help himself. While Blair was convinced she'd have to drag Serena home before she eloped with the "pretentious parson" as she'd come to call him. Not much later the two quietted down and drifted off to sleep.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

After a day full of preparations, the girls had exhausted themselves and found time to relax in the Lady's Lounge. The pale pink wallpaper was accentuated by white crown molding and the walls were adorned with white oak vanities, each lit with beautiful white gold candelabra.

Blair and Serena had themselves dressed by Ivy, Serena's lady in waiting. She was about the same age as the girls, and eager to please. With a pair of used kidskin gloves and a out of date ivory lace fan the girls had secured the servent's silence as she eagerly powdered their hair and dressed them in their gowns, masks securely in place and forms covered in billowing black dominos.

The two snuck out the servents exit, sneaking through the grounds under the cover of the night. They awaited the common carraige "Dear Ben" had procured to pick the girls up in and they clammered into the small coach.

"How marvelous this is!" Serena exclaimed as she settled herself in the seat directly next to Benjamin. "I've never been in such a carraige before." She said queerly as she examined the ordinary stitching of the cushions, and the plain canvas curtains.

"I suppose not everyone is used to the finery of a noble's daughter." Benjamin had murmered quite crossly. Blair looked to Serena to see if she had heard the underbreath remark, but she was busily looking out the window with stars in her eyes. It was going to be a long night indeed.

Benjamin opened the basket that had been seated next to Blair, producing a bottle of champagne and a loaf of bread. Serena eagerly excepted both, drinking and eating happily as she engaged in mindless conversation with the lowly dance instructor. Blair could only manage a sip here and a nibble there of the cheap champagne and the stale bread, ignoring the mindless banter accross from her.

They arrived at Rose Hall at half past ten, "fashionably late" as Serena had called it. Blair made sure to adjust her mask and straighten her skirt after exiting the coach. She nibbled on her bottom lip nervously as her small party of three made their way to the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok before we get started, This chapter is VITAL to the story and although the characters may be slightly OOC I did my best to keep them as we love them. The next chapters will be easy to maintain their personalities but this one was quite hard. I apologize if you are a purist, believe me I am too, but try to understand that in order for this story to continue the way I'd like it had to be done this way. SORRRRRRY. I LOVE YOU :)**

**Lover Come Back**  
**Chapter 2**

Charles Bartholomew Bass, the future Duke of Empire studied the crystal glass of perfectly aged scotch in his right hand, swirling the amber liquid lazily. It wasn't that he was bored, that was proposterous, but the allure of the perfectly aged whores at the Moulin Rouge was waning as was his interest in them. Chuck always enjoyed a good lay, especially when she was talented and trained for pleasure, but they hardly presented a challenge. He was pleased to be leaving France in a days time to return to the cold women of England, whom guarded their virtue with great fervor...well most of them pretended to, at least.

He watched with disinterest as the two women who'd been tonights entertainment collected their scraps of clothing and headed for the door, already receiving their payment he hardly saw reason for them to linger. Chuck never shared his bed for long, and never more than once. Fixing his clothing; a perfectly tailored black suit, a dove grey waist coat and a deep purple cravat, he rang for the maid to pack his things.

As he was organizing the paperwork for a newly acquired business deal that would make him a pretty penny, a knock from the door alerted him he had company.

"Enter." he allowed, not bothering to look up from the desk he was currently hovering over.

"I've always wondered, does the devil sleep or does he simply just dissapear into the shadows when one isn't looking?" a masculine voice jested.

Chuck looked up to find his oldest friend, Nate lurking in his doorway all golden hair, handsome face and effortless charm, the polor opposite to his dark waves and sharp features and even darker persona. The right corner of his mouth lifted in an all too familiar smirk as he stacked his papers to file them away.

"The devil takes too much pleasure in sinning to waste on idle hands. There is always women to devour, fortunes to be made, debaunchary to ensue and perfectly aged scotch to wash it all down. You know this, Nathanial, well." Chuck drawled.

"Ah, that may be true but back in England they aren't as accepting of the lifestyle. However do you plan to ensnare a debutaunte to bore your heirs with that type of behavior?" Nate asked while pouring himself a glass of Cognac.

"Bore is right." Chuck scoffed, "I have no intentions or delusions of marraige. I will simply inherit my father's titles and all that comes with it and continue expanding the Bass Empire until it's vault rivals that of the Crown." he took another gulp of the amber liquid he was studying earlier. "And bed every maiden and lady in every Kingdom I can." he finished with a devious grin.

"I envy you." Nate brooded as he tossed back his glass, emptying it of its contents before droppin himself on the velvet chaise lounge.

"As you should."

"My mother has all but planned my marraige and it seems in two months time I'm supposed to meet my 'betrothed' before her debut."

"My deepest condolences." Chuck smarmed, although he did pity his friend. It was one thing to have a parent who had no care for you at all and another thing entirely when you were merely a pawn in your parent's play for power. "Who's the lucky Lady?"

"I had stopped paying attention when she started talking about the Van der Bilt diamond being passed on for another generation. I swear my mother only agreed to the betrothal to see that damned ring on a pretty little thing so she can plan a damned wedding." Nate scowled at the idea of being married so young. His mother had mentioned something of a long engagement but that hardly settled well with him either and he found himself longing to stay in France rather than return home to England to meet his doom.

"I have no doubts on that. Women and their whimsical ideas of romance, and they wonder why they're the weaker sex. I suppose once we set foot on English ground I will have no choice but to prepare for a Lost Weekend?"

"Oh God, yes."

"God has _nothing_ to do with what I have in mind." Chuck corrected his dear friend, for the lord had forsaken him the moment he was born.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Blair clung to Serena's arm in hopes to assure that she wouldn't be left alone in this dreadful place. The hall was sparsely decorated, the punch weakly flavored and heavily laced with what she assumed to be liquor, the lighting was hardly subtle and the crowd was a mass of lewd and lecherous persons obviously intoxicated.

"Do not leave me," she hissed under her breath as Serena tugged her arm in attempt to escape Blair's vice-like grip.

"Let's find our table and find you a dance partner." the blonde offered in hopes of distracting her petite friend so she could spend the night dancing in Ben's arms.

"I highly doubt you could find a gentleman in a place like this," Blair said as she stuck up her chin, looking down her nose at the crowd of people.

Serena led them to an empty table and the two set themselves down gracefully upon the ordinary wooden chairs. Blair adjusted her mask to assure her features would be hidden from any wondering glances. They waited for Ben to return with refreshments and Blair couldn't help but question his motives for keeping the girls thirst thoroughly quenched.

"I hope _your _Ben doesn't assume that getting you tipsy will help him in stealing your virtue." Blair warned.

"B, I would no sooner question his motives than question yours. He is an honorable man, and he would never do anything untoward." Serena said dreamily. "My only wish is to dance in his arms until my feet are sore and the sun begins to rise."

Blair rolled her eyes in an unladylike manor. The afformentioned dance instructor appeared just then with three glasses of the ghastly punch and sat himself next to her blonde counterpart. She watched as he smiled gaily at Serena, handing her the drink and raising his own glass to propose a toast.

"To new friends and new beginnings!" he boasted happily.

She begrudgingly took another sip and found that the more she drank, the less vile the lemon punch tasted. A few glasses later and a wonderful warmth began to rise from her belly to her cheeks, she was sure she looked flushed but no longer seemed to care.

Serena squirmed in her seat, continuously looking at the masked dancers then to Ben, and back at Blair, silently begging her friend to allow her to join the crowd.

"Off with you then!" Blair finally huffed. "But keep well in my sight, I don't want to search for you in an hours time to find you hidden in a dark corner stealing kisses and becoming properly ruined."

Serena lept from her seat and threw her arms around her, pulling Blair into a severe embrace. "I promise I will be right back, B!" she whispered into her ear, but before letting go she gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

The night went on and Blair found herself entertained watching all the masked ladies and gentlemen enjoying themselves. The liqour had allowed her to relax a immensely and her mind was hazy as she watched a scandalously dressed maiden in a grecian style frock throw herself on a gentleman dressed completely in black. He was tall, with skin the color of honey and his dark hair caught the candlelight in such a way that it streaked gold, giving the illusion of flickering flames. His face was half covered by a horned devil mask, but the lower half was unobscured revealing a full set of lips that appeared soft to the touch.

She continued to watch as he spun the girl around for a turn on the dance floor before disappearing into the crowd. Blair found herself standing to see if she could find the couple again before she realized how ridiculous she must've looked. She wondered why she had become fixated on the mystery man and after several moments of pondering, she concluded that she found him handsome and she would very much like to...kiss him?

In attempt to forget her brief lapse of sanity, she searched the crowds for Serena and Ben. She looked for a tall, willowy blonde dressed in white before remembering they had powdered their hair. Blair wandered away from their table and took a turn around the dancefloor, attempting to find her masked and now raven haired friend to no success.

"Damn her!" she murmered under her breath.

It was on her second turn about the room that she decided Serena had taken to the gardens with Ben, unchaperoned she might add. She was becoming quite lightheaded and in need of fresh air so Blair gathered her skirts and rushed towards the french doors leading to the balcony and moonlit gardens of Rose Hall.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"I don't know why you would rather be at some commoner's ball than at Georgie's Brothel." Nate complained once more as they entered Rose Hall.

"As I've mentioned before, I'm in need of something fresh. If I pay for a woman's company I've already won. Besides, there are plenty of whores here and on their own accord, all the experience without the cost." Chuck drawled.

"I suppose." his friend said warily as he adjusted his white assymetrical mask.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I see an Aphrodite in need of a Hades." Chuck said over his shoulder, already walking into the mass of masked commonfolk.

Chuck found himself completely bored within seconds in the company of the blonde beauty he'd saught after. She'd all but thrown herself at him and as he twirled her around the dancefloor he felt his temperment change from bored to annoyed as she groped and pulled at him, thus ruining his expensive clothes.

"How about we find someplace quiet to ... get to know eachother better," She suggested, batting her eyelashes as she looked up at him with desperate green eyes.

Instead of accepting her offer immediately, Chuck took the moment to look about the room. Most of the patrons at the masquerade had already lost their masks, throwing caution to the wind as the misbehaved in full view of one another. His partner too had removed her mask to reveal her pretty face, most likely in attempt to ensare him with her looks.

A flash of white and pale blue caught the corner of his eye and he turned to find a maid dressed as Marie Antoinette. She was a tiny little thing, not much taller than five feet. Her hair towered upon her heart shaped face and powdered ridiculously in white. Her neck was slender and long, and her dainty frame was encased in a corset that suggested she had small budding breasts. Her face was obscured by a ornate silver mask but he could see from here her lips formed the most perfect cupid's bow.

It was her skin, however, that enticed him; pale and white as snow. He found himself mesmerized by her nearly translucent skin until the woman in his arms demanded his attention once more.

"Chuck!" the tart whined, while tugging on the lapels of his coat.

He waited until the song was over before discarding the probable whore and took to lurking in a dark corner, behind a statue of Dyonasis. His eyes scoured the crowd for any signs of a fair skinned maiden until he caught a glimpse of her pale blue dress skirts trailing out into the garden behind her. Perfect.

He sauntered towards the french doors and out onto the moonlit balcony, and for a moment what he found stopped him in his tracks.

Up close she wasn't only beautiful, she was perfection itself. He could only see her profile but he found himself aching to run his fingers across her porcelin skin. She bit her full lower lip, and he felt himself harden immediately at the sight. She turned away from him and the moon set her aglow. With skin so pale and fair he knew beyond doubt that her hair must be red under all that powder.

Chuck realized he'd been staring at her for far too long and began to stalk towards her like a panther would stalk it's prey. Perfection such as this was just begging to be violated and he was not one to deny himself such a pleasure.

"And what, prey tell, are you doing out here all alone? There are beasts in the night that would salivate at the mere glimpse of your beauty." he drawled just behind her ear while caging her inbetween his body and the balcony ledge she leaned over.

Blair jumped with a start at the unexpected sultry voice. She had been in desperate need of fresh air and found herself quite intoxicated, but his voice had sobered her in an instant.

She turned around to find a man much closer to her person than anticipated and she leaned back against the balcony ledge to provide space between them. When she opened her mouth to speak she was suprised to find that this was the man she'd studied so intensely inside the hall, and all but forgot how to speak.

"My, my. It seems you are as shy as you are enchanting." the deep baritone of his voice made her legs quiver and something stir deep within her belly. A deep flush that had nothing to do with the liqour rose from her neck to her cheeks, and she bit her lip as she tried to find something, anything to say. She watched his eyes darken and she shivered in return.

Chuck's removed his masked to better look upon her, though hers was still in place. He could feel her scent wash upon him as her chest heaved in short, labored breaths. She smelt of lavender and as it mixed in with the warm night air the allure was almost intoxicating. He moved closer and heard her breath hitch as his hand rose to remove her mask as well.

It was then that Blair found her common sense, blushing furiously at herself for acting such a fool, she shook her head furiously before finding her words.

"No. My mask stays on."

She watched as his full lips quirked into a half smile, just one corner lifting into a suggestive smirk. That peculiar feeling deep in her belly intensified as he opened his mouth to speak once more. Blair found herself wondering what he tasted like, and if she could be the type of girl who kissed strangers in the dark.

"She speaks," he said with that damned enticing smirk still in place.

Before she could beg his pardon and flee into the opposite direction his lips were upon her. She stood frozen in place as his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. For a moment stood paralyzed in fear, but the alcohol mixed with the longing for a freedom she would never know allowed her to, just this once, forget her inhibitions and just exist in this moment. She melted against his hard chest and let his intoxicating scent envelope her in a haze of delicious warmth, forgetting the perfect Miss Blair Cornelia Waldorf entirely and becoming the type of girl she'd always wanted to be.

Chuck for the most part was struggling to remember that they were in full view of dance hall. She tasted like strawberries and cream and he wanted, no needed, more. He drew his tongue across the seam of her lips, begging for entrance, and when she opened her mouth to stifle a gasp he plunged in with ferocity he'd not known he had.

Blair swooned and surrendered to the dreamlike state he was drawing her into, each pulse of his tongue and nip of her bottom lip lulled her into a trance. She was melting more and more into this world of unimaginable pleasure she felt her knees give way beneath her. She was sure she would've collapsed to the floor had he not been holding her so close, so tight.

Before he lost himself any further Chuck gathered her in his arms, lifting her completely off the ground, ravaging her mouth as he carried her into the garden. Somehow he managed to find a hidden alcove beneath a willow tree. He could still hear the music and laughter from inside, but he hardly cared. He lay her down on the bed of soft grass and took a moment to feast upon her image.

Hidden from the moonlight he could clearly see the blush that warmed her skin, looking much like her flavor... ripe strawberries covered in cream. Her chest heaved as she attempted to catch her breath and her small, budding breasts restrained by her corset and low cut bodice attempted to spill out. Chuck lazily drew his hand across her cheek, over her kiss-swollen lips that once were pale and now were as red as the apple that tempted eve. He continued his path along her elegant throat and stopped briefly at her pulse point, he smirked when he felt how fast her heart was beating.

Blair, for her part, was lost completely. She knew not where she was or whom this handsome stranger was, but as he adoringly ran his hands over her she drank him in. Without his mask it was clear to her now that he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. His face was sharp and angular, with expressive brows and a strong jaw. His lips were full and perfectly proportioned, the color of toasted almonds. Dark brown wavy hair that had once been slicked back into place now fell over his amber colored eyes. Oh, and his eyes! They were amber and gold and flecked with green, absentmindedly she recalled her favorite emerald bracelet, set in solid gold casing.

Missing the warmth of his body she reached out for him, her slender fingers tracing the contours of his face. She was aching for more of his kisses, more of his ravonous tongue, just...more. She opened her mouth to ask him for another kiss but he was already upon her. His face buried into the crook of her neck.

Chuck replaced the hand that had been caressing her with his mouth, lapping at the throbbing pulse of her throat that called to him like a siren at sea. He licked, and bit, and sucked at it until he could taste iron on his tongue, satisfied that it quickened as he continued his sweet torture. He then began to trail open mouthed kisses over one delicate collarbone to the other, nipping gently as she began to writhe beneath him.

He kissed a scorching path down to her chest and freed her breasts from her bodice with a none to gently tug. Chuck nearly groaned at the sight of two rose tipped buds atop the peak of creamy white flesh mounds. Her perfect breasts resembled those of an upturned champagne flute, and he felt his cock throb in approval. He attacked one with his mouth, altnerating between sucking and rolling the tip between his teeth, while he groped, fondled and tweaked the other with his hand and fingers.

She felt as if she were on fire. The unfamiliar feeling deep within her when they had first begun this forbidden dance had spiraled out of control turning the lapping flames into a fiery inferno. She was much too hot and could hardly breathe, and she ached for something she didn't understand. As he fondled her breasts, thumbs brushing accross painfully erect nipples she found little gasps and moans escaping her lungs, and her hips lifted off the ground on their own accord.

When he finally pulled away to meet his lips towards here she caught a glimpse of his eyes and what she found there shook her to the core. No longer were those enchanting eyes amber and green but the color of burnt gold, darkened to an almost black. She felt lightheaded at the sight of them and uneasy under their gaze, as if he might devour her whole, bones and all.

Chuck covered her again with his body and swallowed the sigh of extacy that left her lips. The sound made him harden to steel as her hips bucked against his achingly hard erection. He had to stifle a moan of pain and pleasure as he ground his hips into hers, meeting her halfway. His hands wandered from her breast down her impossibly narrow waist and into her skirts. He used his knee to part her thighs and glided one bare hand up her gossamer stockings to find her wet warmth, brushing her slick bud while the other he used to free his aching cock from its restraints. By god he'd never needed to be inside a woman as much as he need her in this very moment.

Blair cried out in reckless abandon as something jolted her to the core. A breif wave of immense pleasure she'd never known washed over her body and she moaned into his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer. She bucked her hips once more asking for what, she did not know, and then in an instant all she felt was blinding pain.

For the first time in his life, Charles Bartholomew Bass had lost control. He had misread the signs, and failed to plot ahead. He had thought the wanton beauty beneath him a seductress of the highest accord and yet when he dove ruthlessly into her impossibly tight depths he found resistance.

All the color had drained from her face as she let out a deafening scream. For what could've been the first time he truly looked into her eyes and saw them glazed over with not lust, but tears. He begrudgingly pulled out from her hot wet sheath and he paled when he saw blood.

Blair was cold and sober throughout her entire body now as the searing pain throbbing between her legs began to ebb away slowly. She wiped away the tears that escaped beneath her mask furiously before adjusting it back into place.

He watched in silence and horror as she adjusted her skirts and the bodice of her gown, attempting to find decorum in the garden she had allowed him to _ruin_ her. He sat still on the grass, too stunned to react just yet as she lifted herself to her feet and turned away from him.

The wheels in her head were spinning now as she realized that she had surrendered her virtue, to a masked devil in disguise no less, and that she would be shunned from polite society before she ever had a chance to make her debut, before her wedding day to Lord Nathanial, before she could fall in love. Just as fresh tears blurred her vision, she placed a hand on his broad shoulder, leaned down to gently kiss his cheek and whispered words so soft and tender, he later wondered if he'd actually heard them.

"Thank you,"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I feel like I have to explain the last chapter as I have recieved several questions as to it's ending. Firstly I know that it was a bit dark and this fic will have it's dark moments. If you are an obsessed Chair fan like me, than you know that Chuck and Blair would be nothing without their passion and dark moments. You can't depict their relationship without taking into account the extremes, when they love eachother the way they do their good moments are as sweet and tender as a fairy tail but their bad moments are dark and twisted. Secondly, I will go into more detail about Blair's feelings on her encounter with Chuck. In my head I feel like she thanked him for what happened because although he had "ruined" her she did consent to what was happening. It was her decision not her mother's, which it would've been had she waited until her marraige with Nate. I think she thanked him because she could look back at what they shared as something that is just hers, no one elses. Her little dark secret. Her thoughts on the subject will change and alter as she grows as a person and individual. But I'll save those details for the story. **

**As always, I do not own Chuck and Blair, and if you would like to read the Regency Romance Novel that inspired this fan fic you can look up Potent Pleasures the first book of the Pleasures Trilogy by Eloisa James. **

**And without further ado, the story continues**

**Lover Come Back**

**Chapter 3**

Chuck sat in isolation and silence beneath the willow tree for an undetermined amount of time, it could've been seconds or hours before he came back to his senses. He had just deflowered a young maiden and she had asked for no payment in return. A whore's most valuble posession was her virtue and she had offered it to him on a silver platter, free of charge.

He'd like to say that it was his honor as a gentlemen that sent him running after her, to pay her for her services although he was still painfully aroused and unsatisfied but deep down he knew it was something more. He combed through the crowd of intoxicated guests, searching frantically for a petite wisp of a girl with a ridiculous amount of powder in her hair but came out empty handed.

He was about to search the garden again in hopes she returned for her payment or even to finish what they'd started when Nate approached him.

"Chuck, where have you been man? I've been looking all over for you."

It took one look at his friend's curiosity to realize how foolish he was acting over a probable whore and he dismissed all thoughts of finding her and just counted himself lucky for the chance encounter.

"Come, Nathanial. Let's get out of here. I believe a visit to Georgina's is in order." He drawled, throwing one last glance back to the garden where for the breifest of moments he found himself believing in angels.

Later that night, Chuck lay in bed awoken by the most disturbing of dreams. He was under a willow tree on a soft bed of grass, surrounded by lavender and periwinkles. In his arms was the most beautiful creature he'd ever beheld and she was clinging to him as if life itself depended on it. Her perfect bow shaped lips were red as sin and swollen from his kisses and her unbound chest was heaving with desire. With one swift motion he sunk himself into her depths and she cried out in ecstacy.

He awoke at that exact moment as if her cries had been real rather than imagined. He was covered in sweat and his face was drained and pale as he remembered how tight she had been. She had fit him better than a perfectly tailored suit, better than a glove, it was almost as if she had been made for him. He was once more painfully aroused, unsatisfied and longing for a girl he did not know.

Days turned into weeks, and he recieved no letter or ransom for the girl. He'd hoped that her guardian would find him and demand he take responsibility. He'd even prepared to make arrangements to set her up as his mistress if she ever appeared or had been found. Chuck returned to Rose Hall several times after that night in attempt to find her but he had no such luck.

By the end of the month he realized that maybe she wasn't a serving girl, maybe a lowborn nobleman's daughter or a love child of some sorts and he took to searching for her at debutaunt ball's held by the ton, dragging Nate along with him. He searched for far longer than he should have, looking for a slender girl with skin so white her hair had to be red, lips that begged to be kissed and eyes darker than chocolate. When he found no such girl in polite or common society he wondered if she'd ever been real to begin with.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Blair had left the Rose Hall in a hurry. Serena had been frantically searching for her, apologies falling from her lips for abandoning her most of the evening. She remained silent on the carraige ride home, and didn't speak a word as they undressed. Serena was in the middle of telling Blair of her romantic kiss on the Balcony when she stopped midsentence, and she gasped in suprise.

Blair looked to her friend in confusion when she followed Serena's gaze to the spot between her thighs.

"You've gotten your monthly!" Serena exclaimed.

Blair then noticed the dried blood and she touched her inner thigh tenderly, the flesh still sore and slightly bruised. Hoping Serena wouldn't notice was hopeless, so she cleared her throat and spoke for the first time since she'd left the handsome stranger under the willow.

"Call for Ivy and tell her to draw me a bath." Her voice was sharp, and oddly harsh.

"Of course." Serena replied and rang the bell for her handmaiden.

As Blair soaked in the tub she took a washcloth and tenderly cleaned the spot between her thighs. She hissed in pain at the bruised flesh and her eyes welled up with tears as she recalled the evening and all it had brought. No one would ever find out that she was ruined, she was determined to take this secret to the grave. She would spend her life guarding the knowledge that a man who was not her husband had taken her most prized posession.

She lay in the tub long after the water had grown cold, memerizing each and every detail of this night; his face, his honey colored skin, his large hands and the delicious weight of him atop her, his warmth, the fire that blazed beneath her own skin wherever he touched, his intoxicating kisses, the deep baritone of his voice, the smell of lavender that surrounded them in their own private world underneath the willow tree. She memerized everything.

When she finally pulled herself out of the bath dawn was approaching, bringing a new day and a new Blair. She had an image to uphold, a family name to protect and a future engagement to a future prince. Her debut into society would be one to talk about for years to come and she would be the reigning belle of the ton. Nothing, especially a heated encounter with a mysterious stranger, would keep her from her destiny.

xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Just as planned, Blair returned to Astoria a week before her coming out ball. The house was in a uproar of hurried preparations and her mother was predictably barking orders, adjusting and readjusting the decor, and demeaning her daughter effortlessly.

The day before her debut, she recieved a visit from Nathanial Archibald. She was suprised by how handsome he was, all golden hair and smiles. He reminded her of Serena with his kind blue eyes and easy charm. She was pleased to find he was amiable and kind, although distracted and disinterested in her altogether she found herself liking the gentleman. His disinterest in her would provide most useful during their long engagement and give her the opportunity to become the most envied of all young ladies in the London ton.

Blair's debut went down as the most spectacular event of the season, or so her mother had said. A perfect mix of London sophistication and Parisian whimsy, the grand ball room had been covered in soft candle light and heavily decorated with peonies. As for Blair, her modest white dress made her her look transcendent. She wore her favorite necklace, a gift from her father, with a gold "B" clasp. Her hair was piled artfully in choclate curls with dainty pearl pins to keep it in place.

She danced the required three dances with Nathanial, or Nate as he preffered to be named, which announced to all the ton that they were betrothed. She studied the envious glares she received when her mother announced that wedding bells were in the not too distant future, and smiled with satisfaction at the dejected looks on half of the debutaunts faces.

She made all the right connections and proper introductions and spent most of the evening chatting with Serena, dancing with Nate, or eavesdropping on others. Well into the night she found herself in dire need of champagne, her head was throbbing under the weight of her hair and the pins felt as if they had burrowed themselves into her skull. She sought out Nate, hoping to train him well before they married, to retreive her a glass when she found him deep in conversation with Sir Carter Baizen.

"What news of our _dear_ friend Chuck? I heard his father was entirely pissed at his reckless behavior the last month." Carter said.

"Ahh, Chuck was acting out of sorts these last few weeks. He kept dragging me to a commoner's hall every weekend for lord knows what, he spent a whole week visiting every whore house in town, and to make matters worse he drank himself into oblivion each night till he all but passed out. Bart got so sick of it he shipped him off to his Uncle in Australia under the pretense of gaining some trading company there. Jack sent word that Chuck is back to his debauchery but doing well."

"So the Basstard finally bit off the hand that feeds him," Carter chuckled. "Can't say I don't get some sick satisfaction out of that. I will miss the Lost Weekends though."

Blair decided now was the time to make her presence known and cleared her throught in a most polite and dignified way. The two men turned swiftly to face her and she curtsied in greeting as they bowed.

"Pardon me Sir Baizen but may I steal my betrothed away from you? I am in need of champagne, fresh air, and dear Nathanial's comany." She gave her sweetest smile and curtsied to the two gentleman before tucking her arm into the crook of Nates and giving a sharp tug in the direction of the refreshments.

"I'm sorry Blair. I've been neglecting my obligations again haven't I?" Nate asked sheepishly.

"All is forgiven, dear. You'll do better, I'm sure of it." Blair cooed, her brow setting in a determined fashion as she led them towards their future together.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Blair and Nate settled into a comfortable routine and as time passed, they grew quite fond of eachother. Serena was enamored with Nate and Blair was pleased her best friend like her finance as much as she did. It didn't go unnoticed however that Nate seemed to care for Serena a great deal more than he should. Blair tried to not think on the subject often but her insecurity and bruised ego wouldn't allow it to escape her for long.

As one season turned into two, Serena and Blair were the toast of the ton. Every young gentleman longed for their attentions, declared their love, and tried to steal kisses in corridors and on balconies. Blair found she liked being engaged to Nate, whether or not she was what he most desired, he was the picture perfect fiance. Blair could use her engagement to ward of the attentions of a much too forward gentleman and to make new connections with the Royal court when the opportunity presented itself.

It was in winter before their third year of their betrothal when disaster struck. Nate's father had offered to help Waldorf Designs for the Fashionable Young Lady expand to the America's in return for a exclusive contract when he was was arrested. Apparently Lord Archibald had entagled himself in with the American Slave Trade and the Queen stripped him of all his titles, land, and income.

Not wanting to be associated with such a disgraced family, Eleanor promptly called off the engagement and severed all ties with the Archibald family. Before the scandal ran wild through the ton, Eleanor had packed her belongings and took off to France, leaving Blair to pick up the pieces of her shattered future and utter humiliation.

Blair spent that winter in the country house, abandoning her plans to visit the Rhode's manor to spend her day's alone in the comfort of her own company. She ignored all letters from Serena and Lily except to deny their request to visit. When Blair developed an unhealthy appetite for sweets and couldn't bare the sight of her own reflection anymore, she began the ritual of purging the contents of her stomach into a chamberpot after each meal. She read endless books in attempt to escape reality, romance novels, Shakespeare's plays, poetry and even the paper's to keep up on current events. When the bitter cold and lonliness were becoming too much to bare, she took to learning new songs on the piano-forte and improving on her needlework.

One evening while preparing for bed Blair studied herself in the vanity mirror for the first time in months. Dorota silently brushed her long hair as she took in her features. Her dark eyes held no life, dead and dull like trodden mud, and dark circles underlined them. Her face had grown gaunt and her cheeks were sunken in, her lips no longer full and red but pale and thin. When her image started to blur behind the tears that were begging to fall, she barked at Dorota to leave immediately and made her way to bed. As she lay there with her own thoughts, she wondered if she would ever feel alive again.

Blair awoke the next morning flushed and overheated, her nightgown damp and clinging to her body. For a moment she wondered if she had come down with a fever before recalling blurry images of a lavender scented garden, a soft bed of grass under the protection of an ancient willow tree. She remembered his large hands carressing over her bare skin and his soft lips stealing her breath away from her own as if he had been in her very bed.

She felt as if she'd been struck by lightning, every nerve ending in her body was electrified from the long lost dream. As reality sunk in and the dream faded, so did the feeling. Blair pulled herself from bed and sat down at her vanity, examining herself once more. This time what she saw shocked her. Her eyes were much too dark, and her skin looked as if it were aglow. She bit her lip as she not only studies herself but her surroundings as well.

It was definitely time for a change. Blair had been in hiding for long enough, and the new debutaunt season was coming upon her. She was now 19, very much unnattached, and in need of a new look to match her new attitude. It had been three very long years since that fateful night, she had let two men alter her completely in that time, but this time would be different. Blair rang for Dorota and pulled on a silk robe before opening her wardrobe.

When Dorota finally entered the bedchambers, she gasped in suprise at what she found.

"Miss Blair! Your fine gowns, you will ruin!" She fretted as she attempted to pick up the pale colored frocks with their demure cuts and modest bodices.

"I want to rid me of these awful dresses, toss them, donate them, save them for your daughters, I do not care. I never want to see them again." Blair huffed as she ripped the final dress from its hangings.

"They were made for a silly girl who doesn't exsist anymore. I am not a young chit unfamiliar with the way the world works and I most certainly wont set a man's desire in a peach dress with frilly lace and poofs." She scoffed.

"But, Miss Blair, what will you wear?" Dorota blanched as she scurried to grab dress after dress until she was all but hidden behind the layers of innocent fabrics.

"I think a trip to France will suit our needs. Mama has a dear friend who took over Waldorf Designs in Paris, her reputation is quite scandalous, but I hear it took one look at Josephine in one of her dresses for Napolean to fall madly in love." Blair swooned.

Dorota smiled nervously at her mistress, wondering what brought on this sudden change of attitude. She toted all the dresses save a select few that would remain in fashion once her daughters were old enough to wear them to the servants quarters and instructed a footman to donate them in town. After packing a traveling chest with a few of the saved frocks for Blair's trip, she delivered breakfast. To her relief she watched as Blair whole heartedly ate her fruit parfait and honey covered croissant.

After eating her fill, Blair changed into a simple white morning gown and made arrangements to travel to France.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

After several months and half a fortune spent on an entirely new wardrobe, Blair returned to London in time for the first ball of the season with little or no time to spare. She chose one of her favorite gowns to debut that evening and paired with a pair of new silver slippers to match. As she climbed into the carraige that would take her to the Van Der Woodsen estate, she smiled genuwinely to herself in excitement for the night to come.

"B! I can't tell you how glad I am to see you!" Serena exclaimed as she ran to wrap her arms around Blair.

"I can't breath!" Blair laughed into the golden tresses that spilled in effortless cascades.

Serena released her and took her hands, spreading them out wide as she took in her best friends new appearance. Blair's normally perfectly pinned coiffure was nowhere to be seen and her dark curls fell artfully around her face, framing her features elegantly. Her eye's sparkled with mischeif and her lips were painted ruby red, a healthy glow flushing her cheeks. She then observed the dress she wore and gasped in shock.

"Where did you find such a beautiful dress? I must have one of my own!" Serena demanded.

"A little something I picked up in Paris," Blair teased as she twirled around once to show off the way thin gossamer silk fluttered about.

"By the way, B, thank you for telling me you were leaving the country." Serena scolded sarcastically. "And to France no less! You do know there is a war going on, right?"

"Ah but that only effects you cold blooded Englishmen, Waldorf women are more than welcome beyond French borders. Who else would dress all the maidens, mistresses and wives of the powerful men?" Blair joked.

"Say what you will, but I have been worried sick about you." Serena pouted.

"I'm sorry, S. Truly I am." Blair said in return.

"I forgive you. Now come! We have a ball to attend and debutaunts to outshine."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Chuck had been in London all but three hours before making his way to the Van der Bilt manse. Word had reached him of Lord Archibald's downfall exile and he worried for his friend Nate. It had been three long years since he'd last seen him, although he was quite out of sorts and busy disappointing his father to know how long would pass before they were face to face again. They had written eachother often, most of Chuck's letters describing the delicious lack of propriety in Australia and Nate's of this mysterious girl Serena and how she bewitched him. He was curious as to the engagement that had lasted as long as his departure only to be called off this winter past, but he'd save that for another day.

Chuck straightened his cravat, and ran his fingers through his wavy hair while being escorted to the drawing room by an impeccibly dressed footman. A lot had happened since he'd last been in London. Not only had Nate lost his father, so to speak, but Chuck had as well. Bart had been traveling from Australia back to London when his ship was caught in a storm, never to be seen again. The click of a door closing alerted Chuck he was no longer alone and he let the thoughts of his father fade to the back of his mind.

"My god it's really you, Chuck Bass."

"Now Nate, you no better than to use my name in the same sentance as your Lord and Savior." he tauned.

Nate took several strides to stand directly in front of him, he put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed, none to gently. The act of affection not lost upon him chuck returned the gesture.

"It's good to see you Chuck," Nate said sincerely

"Isn't it always?" he drawled before giving his friend a breif moment of sincerity. "I'm sorry about your father."

Nate looked alarmed by the genuwine condolence before remembering he had one to offer as well.

"I'm sorry about your father too. Bart was a good man.

Chuck merely scoffed and shrugged his shoulders in indifference.

"Ashes to ashes, or so they say. I inherit the dukedom and all it's spoils and continue to disappoint my father from the grave." Chuck retorted sharply before quickly changing the subject.

"How are you and Anne holding up? I assume William has everything taken care of."

"Mother prefers to not talk about it, no suprise there. Grandfather has managed to clean things up swiftly and wants me to reenter society like nothing ever happened. I don't know man, I just..." Nate trailed off, losing his focus as usual, probably high on hashish or opium from the looks of it.

"Get dressed Nathanial, we have somewhere to be." he said, snapping the vapid blonde back to attention.

The fallen golden boy looked up at his returned friend and tilted his head in confusion and Chuck smiled at the familiarity of the situation and their predictable friendship. Three years long gone and still they picked up from where they left off with ease.

"Lord and Lady Baizen are having a ball this evening, or so I'm told, and we need to introduce you to all the pretty young things you've missed so dearly while in your self inflicted exile." Chuck drawled.

"But you hate balls," Nate observed lamely.

"That may be a truth, but before I can inherit the Empire I need to find a wife."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

**Super long chapter and albeit a bit boring but there's more to come. A lot of this stuff needed to be explained these first three chapters are kind of my backstory before we get to the goodstuff. Please let me know what you think, what you'd like to see from this story, or ask any questions you may have. I'd love to answer all of them :) I'm always here for a co-Chair fanatic **

**Love always**

**ZarJar**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all for the feedback, I'm glad you have faith in this fic, I'm really excited about where this can go. Still looking for a beta that can help me with my spelling and grammar, so forgive me for not spotting some things. **

**Well it should go without saying that I do not own Gossip Girl, nor the characters in it. As much as I wished I did, so I could hire Ed Westwick as a full time personal Chuck 3**

**Now lets get back to the story.**

**Lover Come Back**

**Chapter 4**

Chuck and Nate arrived at the Baizen's London Manor around half past eleven, after several drinks at the Gentleman's Club. Apparently Nate was in need of liquid courage before facing the public eye again. Chuck had made a small fortune at the card tables and thought the evening was off to a good start.

They handed their hats and coats to the footman at the door and waited to announced to the assembly. Chuck noted the silence that fell as their names were boasted and echoed through the hall, people stopping mid conversation to eye the pair with little to no decorum. He never minded being the center of attention, it was a stark contrast to the life he lead under his father's house, always alone and in the shadows.

"This was a mistake," Nate muttered under his breath.

"Courage my friend, you're practically royalty. No home in London could shun you without shunning the crown."

"That doesn't mean that people wont talk..." Nate countered defensively.

"And the more people talk, the more well known you'll become. Women can't help but love a celebrity." Chuck drawled making his way towards the group of men surrounding what appeared to be a bar.

Retreiving a glass of scotch for himself and his friend he returned by Nate's side and handed him the extra glass before surveying the crowd of polite society. It was Nate who broke the silence between them several minutes later when something caught his eye.

"There she is." he breathed.

Chuck followed his friend's line of sight to see a tall slender woman, with long locks of golden hair. She was all smiles and sunshine, reminding him of a female counterpart to Nate. No wonder he is so infatuated with her, he thought idly. She was quite beautiful, he must admit, with sunkissed skin and eyes that sparkled like the sun in a clear blue sky. Her smile, he gathered, infectious to those around her, all seemed to smile as well.

"So that is the infamous Miss Serena Van der Woodsen?" Chuck asked before taking a hearty drink of his scotch.

"Aye, she is something to behold. Is she not?" Nate practically mooned.

With a scoff and a final toss of his glass he emptied it's contents and let the slow burn work its way down his throat. He relished the feeling as he studied the girl a bit more, appraising the beauty rather than appreciating it.

"I suppose, but much too flighty for my taste." he replied in a bored tone.

It was when he threw one last glance at the group of women surrounding the golden haired chit that had wrapped Nate around her finger that another woman caught his eye. If Serena was sunshine and blue skies, this woman was the embodiment of the moon and the stars.

Her dark hair fell about her in perfectly coiffed curls, cascading over one shoulder in shiny tendrils that must've been soft a silk. As she turned to converse with someone in her party he was graced with the creamy expanse of her neck, which immediately sent an odd fluttering feeling throughout his stomach and chest. Her lips appeared to be painted a seductive shade of red. She had a small upturned nose and high winged eyebrows that were much like his own, and her eyes were the darkest color of brown he'd ever seen.

Unbeknownst to him, Nathanial had caught him staring much to long at the group of women and mistook the situation immediately.

"Don't you dare get any ideas, Chuck. Serena may not have a title and a place in the Royal Court but she is a daughter to the crown and is to be treated as such." Nate said defensively.

"Hold on to your britches, _Nathanial_. I have no interest in stealing your deb. Although I do wonder how your dear ex-fiance feels about you moving on so quickly." Chuck snarked with an effortless smirk.

Nate simply shrugged and nodded his head towards the group of women they had just been appreciating. "She's been in Paris for months now, undoubtebly waiting for the scandal around our engagement to die down, otherwise the best chance of finding her would be with Serena."

"What a shame," Chuck replied lamely looking for the dusky brunette in the gaggle of debutantes but not finding her. Nate wasted no time as he made his way up the stairs while Chuck sought out a waiter with a tray of champagne.

He made his way towards the grand staircase but as he began to ascend, a mass of chocolate curls obstructed his view as a petite body colided with his, nearly knocking them both to the ground.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Blair had seen Nate from her perch on the balcony, saw him as he made his way towards their little group. She wasn't ready to face him, and the humiliation she felt for abandoning the future they'd planned. She hastily made her way through the throng of gentlefolk and made her way down the stairs in efforts to prolong their reunion. When she had nearly reached the bottom step, her silver heels slipped on the midnight blue satin of her gown and she tripped. She didn't see the poor victem of her misfortune, but she felt the hard body on impact as a muscled arm wrapped around her waist and steadied her on her feet.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, I -" the apology was cut short, the words falling silently to the well polished floor as her heart leapt into her throat.

He was taller than she remembered, and handsomer. His hair fell in graceful waves that still caught the candlelight and reflected their embers in a most enchanting way. His impeccibly tailored suit outlined the lean muscular frame and she offhandedly chastised herself for ever thinking him a footman. He commanded attention and demanded respect simply in the way he carried himself. His honey colored skin was a shade or two darker, most likely from extended time in the sun. His eyes, however, were exactly the same. They still glistened like polished topaz and promised of mischeif and seduction.

"What are you doing here?" she asked lamely before realizing how rude the question was.

His eyes widened with amusement, and the right corner of his enticing mouth quirked in a shameless smirk.

"Where else would I be?"

She shivered at the sound of his voice. It was still deliciously smooth and thick with the low baritone she remembered. One of his winged eyebrows rose in question and she realized she was staring at him unabashedly.

"Oh I dont know, a masked ball perhaps?"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Chuck frowned, it was just his luck. The first interesting woman he'd met was completely around the bend. Up close she was much more stunning, absolute perfection. The lips he once thought were painted were actually her own natural shade of red. He found himself wanting to taste them to see if they tasted of the berry color they resembled.

It was when she looked down at the floor, hiding her face, that he was able to appreciate the dress she wore. It was the color of a midnight sky on a cloudless night, making her perfect skin glow much like the moon itself. For a moment a memory from long ago attempted to surface, but he let it go unnoticed in order to admire her.

The decolletage featured her slender neck and pronounced collarbones. Unlike most debs of the day whose gowns were made of billowing skirts and corsets, hers was impossibly thin. The empire waistline hugging the curves of her breasts and falling gracefully over the dip and sway of her hourglass figure. The hand he had used to steady her was still wrapped around her and his hand twitched as he realized he could feel the delicious swell of her derrier through the thin silk.

His reverie was interrupted by the many hushed whispers of the spectacle they must be making and he realized he was nearly groping her openly in the eyes of the most influential people in London and their lesser peers. He released the arm he had wrapped around her and offered the crook of it to her instead.

She gently placed her hand the said limb and allowed him to lead her as she broke the intense silence between them.

"You don't remember me?" she asked quietly.

He furrowed his brow in concentration as he mentally thumbed through the scores of women he'd bedded and discarded. Again a memory flickered breifly but he considered it coincedence. He could never forget such an alluring woman, of that he was certain. At least now he knew she wasn't off her rocker, she simply thought him to be someone she knew.

"I'm afraid you have me confused with somebody else. I have a young uncle and people say we resemble eachother like brothers. Perhaps you are familiar with him?"

She shook her head adamently and he caught the look of contempt thrown his way before she quickly buried it behind a cool fecade. She removed her hand from it's nook in his arm and curtsied to him in effortless grace.

"Thank you, -"

"Chuck. You can call me Chuck."

The most alluring flush of color made it's way to her cheeks at the familiarity he was attempting to establish before even properly introducing himself. He found that she piqued his interest like no woman before and he would be doing a lot more to make her blush like this as often as possible.

"_My lord,_" She said icily, quickly recovering from her brief lapse of decorum. "I thank you for catching me before I fell, but I must rejoin my party."

Without another word she curtsied and turned away from him, leaving Chuck to watch the enticing way her hips swayed as she left him.

"What do you think?" a masculine voice said from behind.

Chuck turned to find Carter Baizen, future Marquis to the Baizen estate and well known gambling afficianado watching the woman saunter away.

"She's devestating." Chuck drawled. "I'm going to make her mine. What did you say her name was again?"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Blair hurried off in a fury as she mentally cursed his existance. How dare he forget? She was Blair Waldorf, queen of the debutantes and reigning belle in society. Granted, no one knew of her dalliance in a garden with a masked stranger three long years passed, but that didn't excuse his lack of reccollection. How many virgins did he lure in and deflower beneath willow trees.

She found a footman with a tray of champagne and grabbed a glass, quickly emptying it's contents before grabbing another. She had been careful never to get tipsy after that fateful night but it seemed the devil had found her and she needed liquid courage to fend off the damned beast.

For a moment she hid in the ladies parlor, steadying the beat of her pounding heart. The worst was over, they finally met once more. She could treat him as an acquaintance and pretend the passionate night they'd shared had never happened. It was after all what she'd been doing for years now. She tried to ignore the ache in her heart at his indifference to her, but it was insistant and unforgiving.

Blair spotted her friend Brandice York, a French model whom worked for Waldorf designs and made her way over. Brandi may not have been a nobleman's daughter, or even a socialite of society but she was good company and the perfect distraction from the hell reigning in her mind. With Serena too busy fending off suitors and flirting with unavailable men, Blair desperately needed a female companion to plot her escape with.

"Brandice my dear, I see you've been busy." Blair said sweetly as she admired the delicate gold and opal bracelet hanging on her gloved wrist. The beautiful blonde took the compliment as an oppertunity to openly admire the gift herself, gaining jealous glances from the surrounding girls, new to life in the ton's eye.

"Lord Baizen is most generous. I believe I may recieve a proposal in a months time. Not to say that I will accept, but his gifts are quite lovely" She giggled before returning her attention to Blair. "How was Paris dear Blair? I see you've completely reinvented yourself. I must say, seductress suits you."

"After my failed engagement and utter humiliation I felt inspired to take in the city of love and learn to live as the Parisians do. Admire beauty, inspire love, but never be consumed by it. I will have all the eligable men in London begging for my hand in marraige."

"Blair?"

Her spine went rigid as steel at the sound of his voice. It appears her escape was short lived and her past had come back to haunt her yet again. She took a deep breath and faced the source of her humiliation, lowering herself in a graceful curtsey.

"My lord." she said politely.

Nate dipped his head in a lazy bow and studied her appearance with little to no decorum. A small smile played on his lips as his eyes met hers and she felt her nerves ease slightly at the familiarity of the gesture.

"You look beautiful." he said in earnest. It was the first time she'd heard those words from him and almost believed them.

"Thank you, my lord. I have heard word you've been escorting my dear Serena on rides through Hyde Park and to Almacks."

She knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn't help it. She didn't like feeling out of control in any situation, and to make him uncomfortable would even the playing field at least small smile on his face disappeared before he cleared his face and changed the subject.

"I wonder if the lady would enjoy a dance." he said awkwardly before offering his arm.

"How kind of you, Nate. May I still call you by your given name? I know we may no longer be engaged, but the three years we spent courting shouldn't be all but forgotten." she said sweetly.

"Of course you can," He replied politely as he escorted her to the ballroom floor. "but only if I can still call you Blair."

For a moment, she felt the resentment she held for the man who pined for her best friend dissapate. She had come to care for Nate deeply over the years, even had hope that there could be love in their future together...at least once Serena had married. Dancing in his arms felt easy, familiar, and safe. She relaxed a little more and allowed herself to just enjoy the moment and relish the hushed whispers around them, about them.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Chuck stood at the entrance of the ballroom, scotch in hand, as he surveyed the room. He saw the couples that swept about the floor, immediately catching sight of his best friend and the dark beauty in his arms. His fingers tightened around the tumbler in his hand, teeth gnashing together violently.

She was smiling radiantly up at Nate while he returned the gesture earnestly. Chuck knew that smile, it was Nates smitten smile, the smile reserved for women who wormed their way into his heart. Her smile was genuwine and lovely, not at all like the cold indifferent one she'd given him.

He stood in the shadows watching the couple dance until the music stopped and the bells for dinner chimed. Nate escorted her off the dancefloor and took led her towards the corner he was currently spying in.

"Chuck!" Nate said gaily as the pair closed the distance between them. "I'd like you to meet Miss Blair Waldorf, daughter of the Embassador to France Sir Harold Waldorf and his lovely wife Eleanor. Blair, this is my oldest friend, Lord Charles Bartholomew Bass future Duke of Empire"

"Enchanted." he drawled.

Chuck bowed gallantly taking her hand in his. His lips descended to meet the alabaster skin of her dainty fingers and he didn't miss the jolt that resulted from the contact between the two. She withdrew her hand from his immediately, placing it back upon Nate's arm.

Blair threw another ingenuwine smile his way before quickly replying, "I'm sure."

Nate took a brief moment to look confused, but then quickly forgot it once Serena joined their small party.

"There you are Blair, I've been looking all over for you. My lords," Serena gave a quick curtsey before continuing. "Dinner is served, Eric is waiting to escort us to our seats. Nate wont you and your friend join us?"

"We'd be delighted to Miss Serena." he said happily.

Chuck watched Nate exchange looks with both females, clearly at odds with which beauty to lead to dinner. With a subtle manuver that went unnoticed by all but the object of his desire, he worked his way beside Blair and offered his arm. She eyed him with something akin to disgust but took his arm anyway.

"So, my lady how did you come to be acquainted with my dear friend Nathanial. I've known him for nearly two decades and not once have I had the distinct pleasure of making your acquaintance."

She rolled her eyes with annoyance, but he found that only made him like her more. She was a fiery little thing, wasn't she.

"I'll pretend to ignore your failing memory as to our meeting before, and the fact that my relationship with Nate is none of your business, _my lord._" She said icily. "If you'd like to know anything I suggest you ask your _dear friend._"

Chuck frowned again. He'd never met her, that was certain. He looked at her carefully. She had a delectable, triangular face enveloped in soft, dark curls: a perfect button nose, and high cheekbones. Her mouth was a natural dark red. Her eyebrows were exquisite: high and expressive, a woman's version of his own. For a second some memory stirred, but...

"I've never met you." he said with a smile. He would never forget a woman as beautiful and witty as this.

Blair's mouth fell open to refute him, but she must've decided against it. So he must steal virginity as a rule, most likely once a week. The rake! The Lothorio! The Damned Basstard would not be getting anywhere near her skirts ever again, as god as her witness the devil was going down.

"Lord Archibald was my fiance," she said sweetly. "Perhaps our mother's will come to terms again once the scandal surrounding the late Lord Archibald dies down."

Chuck's muscles tensed beneath her dainty fingers and she looked up and him curiously, he hadn't suspected her to be Nate's former fiance. How was he to go about seducing her if she carried a torch for his best friend? She had spent three years of her life planning her future with a man that was clearly enamored with another woman, but that didn't mean she hadn't fallen for him. Any young woman given the opportunity would easily give in to the throws of love and all it's foolish features.

"Ah, so I see you survived the scandal and came out unscathed?" It wasn't really a question more of inquery to her reaction.

She shot him a look of defiance, clearly suprised he'd ask such a personal question to someone he was under the false impression he'd only just met.

"My lord, -"

"Chuck."

"I hardly think it appropriate to ask such personal questions. Nate and I have maintained and amiable friendship, not that it is any of your business. Now if you will pardon me I have a party to rejoin and no longer wish to spend my time in the company of a known rake."

He chuckled beneath his breath as he watched her escape him. She was witty, passionate and clearly had a fire burning beneath the cold exterior. Not to mention, she was the embodiment of perfection and stunningly beautiful. He would have to play this game very carefully if he planned on everyone coming out unscathed, but that was a challenge he looked forward to. He would melt that cold exterior and make her his. He was sure of it.

**As always read and review. Tell me what you think. What would you like to see happen. I have a strong outline for the story so I know where it is all going, but feel free to give me your suggestions. I really want to please the readers and make this fic something special. :)**

**Love always**

**ZarJar**


End file.
